


Secrets Behind Closed Doors

by TheQueenOfMarvel



Category: The Originals (TV), The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: Eventual Fluff, Eventual Relationships, Eventual Romance, Eventual Sex, Eventual Smut, F/M, M/M, Porn With Plot
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-06
Updated: 2017-08-22
Packaged: 2018-07-12 14:35:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,340
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7109446
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheQueenOfMarvel/pseuds/TheQueenOfMarvel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Her nickname is Maze. Mazikeen Gilbert, older sister of Jeremy Gilbert and older sister to Elena Gilbert- by five minutes.<br/>Maze isn't Elena. Many like to compare the two. They're twins right? They're supposed to both like blue dresses or both like rock music. So they're not allowed to be different? Those were the kind of questions that always faced Maze as she grew up in the great shadow that is Elena Gilbert. <br/>Once their parents died, Maze realized she didn't have to be her sister and she could be who she wanted and it causes that gap between the sisters to widen. But with that gap, Maze found out many family secrets that the Gilbert family hid from her sister and from her. <br/>And with the looming threat of Original Vampires and a curse that could kill her twin, will it bring them together? Or will Maze fall for an Original or Salvatore and get caught up in the mysteries of Mystic Falls?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own The Vampire Diaries or any of the characters. I only own the characters that I create.

**Prologue**

**May 23, 2009**

Mazikeen Gilbert leaned against her door, listening to the various activities that were going on just a floor below her. Family Night was going on and her mother, Miranda, her father, Grayson, and her aunt, Jenna Sommers, were all playing a game.

            Elena, of course, had gotten out of going to Family Night because she was going to a social event. But in reality it was a bonfire that occurred like clockwork ever year for the new school year. It was like a last hooray before summer was officially over.

            Maze had no intentions of going. She didn't particularly care for popularity or Elena's friends. But because they so often hung out around her home, so many believed that Caroline and Bonnie were best friends with Elena _and_ Maze.

            Truth-be-told, Maze never much liked either. They were too peppy and happy and Maze wanted to often to yell at them to cool it on the coffee. And because they seemed like friends to everyone else, no one wanted to talk to her. She was a Gilbert. And they were hard to become friends with because they were a founding family.

            And she was the sister of Elena Gilbert. They couldn't have been more different. Elena was shy and quiet and didn't like to share what she thought. She was tall and had medium length dark brown hair and brown eyes. Maze had black hair that looked almost blue-ish in the sunlight and fell in loose curls to her waist. Her eyes seemed to change different shades of gray depending on the weather.

            Maze didn't like her small town. She dreamed of living in a busy city like New York City. To see people running around and see real things she only read about or saw on TV. Not small-town life where everyone knows everyone. There was no personal privacy and she hated it.

            Maze rolled her eyes as Jenna let out a loud laugh. She was drunk.

            "Great..." She rolled her shoulders and walked to the window where her window seat was. Unlike Elena, she never really used hers. She mostly just stuffed her dad's old biology textbooks there. She always had an interest in the medical field.

            She closed the window and closed the shades and moved to her bathroom. It was shared with Elena and all her sister's hair products and make-up things were scattered all around the room. She had tried hard tonight for her boyfriend Matt. They had been together since eighth grade and pretty much before that.

            She sighed and pushed all her sister's things to her side of the sink and stripped down and turned on the shower. She had been waiting all night for Elena to leave so she could steal the shower. It was often that Maze would find herself in the shower at odd hours of the morning, soaking wet in hot water. One time, she remembered, she had actually fallen asleep in the shower.

            Elena had been angry about that because she couldn't get into the bathroom early enough that morning to curl her hair. It had also been the day that Matt had asked her out on their "First Official Date."

            Bonnie and Caroline had been over that night for hours doing Elena's hair and making her look all dolled up.

            To Maze, she looked like a hooker-in-training, but she didn't say anything. It wasn't her place to say anything. But she knew Matt thought she looked weird with the hot pink lipstick and blue eye shadow that Caroline had talked her into. But poor Matt didn't have the heart to say anything. He was too sweet.

            Maze opened her eyes, the water dripping into her nose and she quickly recoiled away from the water and coughed, expelling the water from her nose.

            Finally, she began massaging shampoo and conditioner into her hair and scrubbed her body clean.

            When she stepped out of the shower, the room was so filled with steam; she had to open the door to her room to get rid of some of it. The vent was not helping.

            And once she opened the door, she heard the doorbell ring and she sighed. Why would someone want to come to the house at such an odd hour of night?

            She listened. There was no longer the sound of drunk-Jenna's laugh filling the house. Jeremy's music softly broke the bounds of the walls, but she knew it was oddly quiet down in the first floor.

            Maze grabbed some clothes and threw her hair up in a messy ponytail and made it to the front door. On her way, she passed a sleeping Jenna, a bottle of wine on a table not-too-far-away.

            She heard the guest knock twice and she quickened her pace and opened the door with haste. She didn't expect to see a man in a police uniform and a man in a well-tailored black suit standing before her.

            It made her slightly uncomfortable as she realized that she was wearing a pair of sweat pants and an oversized jersey shirt she had stolen from Jeremy years ago. She eyed the officers cautiously and looked beyond them to see the flashing lights of their cruiser in the driveway.

            "Hello. Miss Gilbert? I'm Officer Gilroy and this is Detective Ramsey." The officer stated. She nodded. "Is there an adult here with you?" He asked.

            Maze turned into the house, now realizing her mistake.

            It was quiet. Her eyes landed on the _Sorry_ game that was half set-up on the kitchen table. Then her eyes landed on the dishes from dinner.

            Her mother never would have left the dishes in the sink unless she had to. And her dad would have been there beside her, drying the plates as he tried to sing a song terribly off-key.

            She didn't see anything. The only adult she knew to be in the house was her aunt Jenna who was passed out and there was no way that she would have been able to string along a complete sentence.

            So she turned back to the officers. "My aunt is, however she isn't feeling too well at the moment. How can I help you?" Her voice was calm and even, yet inside she was curious. Why would the police be at her house?

            The Detective gave her what looked like a sympathetic grimace. The next words out of his mouth caused her to fall to her knees and created the tears that fell down her face and wouldn't fully stop until weeks after the funerals when she had been sucked dry of all the salty tears she could give.

            Mazikeen Gilbert watched as the Officer's lips moved and said something like "I'm sorry."

            But the Detective's words of "Your parents passed... drowned at Wickery Bridge... Sister made it out... At hospital..." It was pieces of phrases that made it to her ears and the other less important words were phrased out.

            She knew nothing would be the same ever again.


	2. Changes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elena is nagging Jeremy and so Maze does the nice thing and helps her brother out.

**Present Time**

 

            The loud slamming of doors was the first thing that woke Mazikeen up and she immediately pulled the blankets closer to her face as she knew what would come next.

            "Maze! Get up! Time to start eleventh grade!" And Jenna's voice was accompanied by her fists slamming on the door to make sure she wasn't just going to brush it off as she almost always did.

            She let out a sound that was somewhere between dog sighing and a zombie groaning. But it was loud enough to tell Aunt Jenna that she was going to get up.

            And so Maze did. And her first thought was a shower. Nice water to shock her senses into shape. And so once she stepped into it, she was awake. Because the water was freezing.

            Elena didn't leave her any hot water left to use. She shouldn't have been shocked. Elena always did this on school mornings. She always used all the hot water so Maze and Jeremy always took cold showers.

            So after a brutally cold shower, Maze quickly made it into her bedroom and put on her clothes she had already lain out.

            She struggled into her gray skinny jeans from having slightly wet legs and pulled a tank top on. She knew this school year was going to be different and while on summer vacation, Maze had picked out a new closet and she felt good.

            She pulled on a long green and black sarong that had been fashioned into something of a sweater. It was beautiful and she thought it was an outfit coordinated perfectly.

            Maze finally left her room after a half hour of doing her hair and make-up with her long black hair in nice, loose curls falling down her shoulders and back. Her make-up was simple and natural with eye-liner and mascara. Her high heeled boots were a new addition she loved.

            She felt nice having the boots clack on the steps leading to the kitchen and the sarong wave as she walked.

            The kitchen was filled with hustle and bustle as Jenna ran around trying to find her phone like a chicken with her head cut off and Elena sitting at the table with a cup of coffee.

            Maze grabbed a cup of the delicious goodness and poured her sugar into her coffee and stirred when she notice all the noise stopped and she turned to see Jenna and Elena looking at her, their eyes wide and watching her.

            She gave a nervous laugh. "Guys it's just coffee. I've had it before..." But she knew they were really looking at what she was wearing. She had always been more of a sweatshirt and a pair of jeans kind of girl, but she was trying to change it up this year. Something about it made her want to actually look good and not like a druggie.

            "You look awesome!" Jenna commented as she finally found her phone and placed it in her pocket.

            "You do. Special occasion?" Elena asked, her voice a slight octave higher. Maze inwardly smirked. She felt threatened because finally she wasn't the perfect twin. And Maze could see the weakness in her eyes. Maze hated it when Elena thought she was perfect. It made her irritate because she would flaunt it like a millionaire does with flashy things.

            "Nope." Maze said, popping the 'p.'

            Just then, Jeremy stormed into the room. Elena had been riding him all summer about smoking at doing illegal activities. Maze hadn't been there to see most of it, but she heard a boat load after she came back from her trip abroad.

            She immediately noticed the red eyes and his shifty attitude.

            He grabbed his cup of coffee and all but downed it in two gulps and began to walk out of the room. "Jeremy!" Jenna called after him, but he was already gone.

            The three girls in the room looked at each other.

            "Was he high already?" Elena asked, her voice shocked.

            Jenna nodded and Elena stood, wanting to go after him.

            Lately, Maze had been noticing Elena had been getting on her nerves a lot and it was starting to show as she avoided her twin like the plague.

            It was all the little things that were starting to pile up. "Elena, leave it be." Maze placed her coffee cup in the sink. "I'll drive him in and talk to him. Bonnie picking you up?" Mazikeen could feel her voice was clipped and she didn't care.

            She didn't wait for a reply as she passed them both. She felt slightly guilty for leaving Jenna, but she also knew that Jenna was supposed to be the grown up.

            Instead, it felt like it was up to Maze to fill that role.

 

            Maze parked the car and shut it off before turning to Jeremy. He was looking out the window, looking for someone.

            She assumed it was Vicki. Before she left for her trip over the summer, she saw the girl sneaking out of her brother's room on more than one occasion. And on another occasion, she had walked into the kitchen to see them on the table. And she then swore never to eat at that table again.

            "You gonna be okay today?" She asked.

            His head snapped to her, glaring. " _What_? Are you gonna turn into Elena? Always on my-" She cut him off. She didn't want to hear the hatred in his voice.

            "I asked if you were going to be okay. I'm not nagging you for the pot. I just want to know that my brother is going to be all right." Even she heard the concerned parent in her voice.

            Jeremy rolled his eyes and opened the car door before she could get another word out. When he slammed the door shut, she could feel the revulsion that accompanied his resentment.

            Maze let her head fall back onto the headrest and let out a long sigh and had her eyes fall closed.

            Memories of the night her parents flashed before her eyes. When the officers came to the house. When she had to be the one to enlighten Jenna. When she just scarcely was able to spit the words out to Jeremy.

            Swiftly, she opened her eyes and shook her head as if she were shaking the memories from her body.

            Maze grabbed her bag from the back seat and pulled it onto her shoulder before opening the door and stepping into the spotlight.

            She could already feel eyes on her as she walked towards the building. It was like tenth grade all over again when she finally showed up with her siblings.

            So she held her head high, her black hair slightly blowing in the breeze, her gray eyes fixed on the school. Her black heeled boots clacked on the tar as she walked. She pretended not to hear the whispers of people chatting about her to each other. It was as though she was doing the walk of shame and everyone knew.

            Once entering the building, she spotted her twins hair along with Bonnie's and began walking through the crowd.

            And right as she walked up into the group, Caroline walked over. Caroline and Maze weren't the best of friends. Maze could smell the pettiness on the girl from a mile away. When Elena and Maze suffered the death of their parents, Caroline had acted as she cared and then promptly took the opportunity to push Elena from her place as cheer captain and then steal the spotlight for herself as 'the grieving best friend of the girls who no longer had parents.'

            "Elena! Maze! Oh, my god!" She grabbed them both and went to envelop them in a bone crushing hug, but Maze skillfully stepped away from the arms as she had been doing for a year. Caroline looked somewhat hurt as she hugged Elena.

            Caroline pulled away and held Elena at an arm's length to see her and then she glanced at Maze. "How are you guys? Oh, it's so good to see you guys!" She looked at Bonnie and had a worried look on her face. "How are they? Are they good?" She sounded concerned and her voice was loud.

            If Maze heard one more person have concern in their voice, she would have to punch someone.

            Maze could see some people watching them. "Caroline, we're right here and we're fine." Before Elena forgot, she added a thank you at the end.

            Maze still didn't say anything. She didn't particularly like the blonde or care for the Bennett girl either. She just didn't have the same friend connection with them as they thought they did.

            Maze tuned back in as Caroline hugged Elena again while saying "Oh you poor thing." And then she walked off as Elena turned to Bonnie and Maze.

            "...No comment." Her face was one of surprised irritation.

            And they continued their walk to first class.

            "So Maze, how was Greece?" Bonnie asked, looking back at the older twin, interested in what she had gotten up to over the summer.

            Maze smiled. "Fine."

            Bonnie gave a confused smile. The wanna-be psychic looked away, hoping that she would have spilled some juicy details.

            Truth be told, Mazikeen had many interesting stories of her time away from Mystic Falls. None of which she would share with them. Her adventures of secret finding was not something she wanted to share at the moment.

            "Hold up." Bonnie stopped their little group outside the office. "Who's this?" She asked, looking at the back of a guy talking to the secretary.

            "All I see is back." Her twin said, her voice slightly intrigued as she looked at the boy. Maze could already tell, Elena was going to try everything in her power to get the boy at the counter to fall for her.

            _And if he was smart_ , Maze thought, _he would stay away_.

            Bonnie gave an appreciative sigh. "It's a _hot_ back."

            Maze again turned them out as she looked at the guy. He didn't seem the least bit interesting as he talked to the woman behind the counter. And she wasn't really paying attention once she saw her brother start walking down the hall.

            She watched as a boy turned to him. And of course, the idiot couldn't keep his voice down and he had to call out "Hey Jeremy! Nice batch, man."

            And that caught Elena's attention full force. "I'll be right back." And then she was on the move. She hurried after their younger brother. Maze was fully watching as her twin jogged down the hall like a mother going to scold her children.

            Right into the _boys_ bathroom.

            Maze couldn't help the irritation that fell over her as she listened to Bonnie moan on about the guy at the counter. She didn't even realize when the guy turned around and Bonnie tried to grab her arm to get her attention.

            Maze was already following her sister and brother into the bathroom after pulling her arm away from Bonnie.

            She moved through the crowd and finally made it to the bathroom and pushed it open. The stench of urine hit her and she made a slight gagging face. And then she saw them standing before the counter, arguing.

                "You haven't seen crazy, Jeremy! I gave you a summer pass, but I am done watching you destroy yourself. No, no, no, you know what? Go ahead. Keep it up. But just know that I am going to be there to ruin your buzz every time, you got it?" Maze watched as she tried to place her hand on his shoulder. "Jeremy, I know who you are. And it's not this person. So don't be this person."

            Jeremy made a motion to leave, but Maze stepped in.

            "Hold up." She put her hand in front of Jeremy before he could walk off.

            He rolled his eyes and became aggravated with her. "Not you, too." He groaned.

            Maze turned to look at Elena. "Give us a minute." As Elena tried to argue, Maze gave her a pointed look. Her twin threw her hands up in the air before leaving.

            Maze knew she held the power over Jeremy. He wouldn't listen to Elena, but she knew he would listen to her. He always did.

            Jeremy leaned up against the wall opposite her as she stood in front of the sink. She wasn't worried that he would try to run because she knew Elena would be standing right outside the door. Like a bouncer at a club.

            She looked at him carefully. His dark brown hair was mildly spiked and he wore dark black clothing. His jeans and black hoodie made him look like the stereotypical drug dealer.

            "Well?" He asked, his tone rude.

            "Jer, I'm not trying to piss you off by bringing up the fact that you're already high. I personally don't care." He seemed shocked, but she continued on. "Here's the deal, you continue doing what you're doing. Continue with your pot and your friends. But don't get out of control. Nothing too strong and nothing that's gonna make me have to come down to the morgue and identify your body." She had to do that with her parents and she wasn't willing to do it for her brother. "And in return, I'll keep Elena off your back."

            He looked shocked. Nothing that she had said made sense to him.

            "Why-"

            "Because I'm sick of her, too. She's insufferable when she thinks she's right and between you me, I'm done with her thinking she's the parent around here." She took a deep breath. "And also because I know how you feel. But I don't want you going too far over the edge where I can't pull you back." He smiled and she opened her arms for him.

            He moved forward a little and she pulled him into a hug.

            "And just to let you know, if I do suspect you of doing something more than pot, I will destroy _everything_ you own to look for it." She whispered to him before pulling away from him and tapping his shoulders with a smirk. He knew she wasn't joking.

            She was almost eye level with his shoulder in her heels. And it sadly made her realize that her younger brother was growing up. She smiled and walked out the door.

            There stood Elena talking with a guy. Well, it was more flirting in Maze's eye but she didn't particularly care. She pushed by both of them and when Elena saw her, Maze barely heard her say something about needing to talk to her sister.

            "Maze!" She heard Elena call to her before she felt her grabbing her arm to turn her around. "How is he?"

            Maze looked at her sister. She saw little resemblance between the two of them. Dark hair- one being brown and the other being black- and that's where it really stopped. It was times like this that made her question how the two of them could be sisters.

            "Fine. Leave him be." Maze's voice was clipped with her sister. Her vacation from her over summer had not been long enough.

            Elena huffed. "Are you serious? That's all you're going to give me? He is hurting himself and-"

            "Elena! He is angry. He's upset. Give him some space! Do you really think your nagging at him to stop doing what he's doing and turn his life around is actually going to make him do that? Because it won't. He will do whatever he wants to do and for you to continue to scold him like a child, it will only make him rebel more. So go ahead! Continue treating him like a child! Guarantee he will only screw up his life more just in spite of you!" Her voice did not raise for anyone around them to hear, but anyone actually watching the twins interaction could see that Maze was angry at Elena.

            And with that, Maze turned, hair whipping around to her right shoulder and stalked away from her sister with anger boiling in her stomach.

            Maze stayed that way for the rest of the day: ignoring her sister and avoiding her at all costs until they returned home and Maze stayed in her room.

 

            Stefan walked into his room, his shoulders tense. He could sense something was wrong. His eyes flickered over to the open balcony doors behind him as a crow came flying through them and landed on one of the many beams hanging above his head. With his eyes still on the bird, he listened intently to the slight wind that moved as someone stood in the doorway to the balcony.

            He turned, knowing who it would be, but hoping against hope that it wouldn't be who he thought it was.

            But it was. He looked at the man standing there. His face contorted into a smug look and his mouth a smirk. His ice blue eyes seemed to look directly into what Stefan had been trying to hide. He wore a black shirt, black pants, and black boots along with a black leather jacket. His black hair that was once shorter to his head now was a bit longer on the sides and covered the tops of his ears and his forehead.

            Stefan was almost ready to punch the man standing there, but instead, he just took a breath and spoke "Damon." His voice was at a normal tone, but to him it felt like he was screaming.

            Damon's smirk became more arrogant as he looked at the other man. "Hello, brother."

            Stefan listened as the crow flew and landed on the banister of the balcony railing. It let out a loud caw. "Crow's a bit much don't you think?" Stefan asked as he looked at his older brother.

            Damon moved further into the room. "Wait 'till you see what I can do with the fog." He looked down at the knickknacks on Stefan's small table before glancing at his brother as he spoke.

            "When'd you get here?" Stefan asked.

            Damon moved away from the table and walked over to the bookshelf and reached up to it. "Well, I couldn't miss your first day at school. Your hair's different. I like it."

            Stefan crossed his arms. A million ways to shut his brother up came to mind and nothing was more pleasing than the thought to punch him square in the jaw.

            "It's been fifteen years, Damon." Stefan stated as he looked at his brother who still sported the smirk.

            Damon didn't miss the undertone of irritation in his voice. He was quick with his retort. "Thank God. I couldn't take another day of the nineties. That horrible grunge look? Did not suit you. Remember, Stefan, it's important to stay away from fads." Damon walked about the room, watching the annoyance persist on his younger brother's face.

            "Why are you here?" This time, Stefan could hear that his voice was louder. He was angry. It was no longer that his brother was here that annoyed him, but it was the fact that his brother had no control over disciplining himself. He did as he pleased and it was deadly here if he were to do that. With their nature, it was deadly to anyone and anything surrounding them.

            Damon turned to look at him, showing fake shock on his face. "I missed my little brother."

            Stefan was quick. "You hate small towns." And it was true. He remembered all the stories he had heard of his brother partying in cities and causing mayhem wherever he went. "It's boring. There's nothing for you to do."

            A secretive smirk crossed his features. One that told Stefan everything he needed to know. "I've managed to keep myself busy."

            "You know, you left that girl alive tonight. That's very clumsy of you." Stefan stated. His voice was hard.

            Damon turned to look at his brother. He heaved a sigh. "Ah. That could be a problem..." He looked at his brother dead in the eye. "...For you."

            Stefan shook his head, anger coursing through him about his brother's insolence. "Why are you here now?" He asked.

            Damon watched him for a moment, looking over his brother carefully. "I could ask you the same question. However, I'm fairly certain your answer can be summed up all into two little words..." He walked closer to his brother. "Elena and Mazikeen." He was smirking as he saw his brother's irritation.

            Damon wasn't done yet. "She took my breath away. Elena. She's a dead ringer for Katherine. Is it working, Stefan?" Damon smirked at him. "Being around her, being in her world? Does it make you feel alive?" Then he turned and looked out the window and then at Stefan. "And the older one. Mazikeen. Such a nice girl. A little bit of an attitude, but that's okay. And what about her secret?"

            Stefan tensed. He knew what his brother was talking about. It was a secret that he knew only Mazikeen knew. The girl hadn't shared it with her family.

            "What a temper on that one. I mean, she's not just a wo-"

            "Damon!" Stefan didn't want to hear it. He flew at his brother, his face changed into the monster he thought he was and ran at his brother, breaking the balcony railing and falling onto the grass.


	3. Take Care

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Her face was one of a perfect mystery to him. She looked like she wanted to say something, but she also looked like she wanted to stroll up to him and slap him across the face with everyone looking.

**Present Time**

           

            The next few days passed with Elena and Maze at odds. They weren't particularly mad with each other, it was just more not an understanding to be seen. Neither wanted to deal with each other for the moment.

            But Maze had been watching her older sister to make sure she was okay. She had realized that she was hanging out with the Salvatore kid.

            Maze wasn't one to care, but Caroline sure did. There were a few times that she had passed her in the halls at school where the blonde was complaining to her friends. Even when not on speaking terms with Elena, Maze wanted to say something to the peppy girl, but decided against it. A war of words with the cheer captain was not something she would be enthralled with.

            Maze wasn't feeling compelled to go to the big Bon Fire a few days ago. It was more Elena's thing to do and Maze wasn't one to sit by a bon fire and drink warm beer. And she was glad she didn't go. When Elena and Jeremy returned home, she had heard from Jeremy that Vicki Donovan had been attacked by an animal and was in the hospital.

            And she had also heard Elena talking to the Salvatore boy on her way to get coffee. And by the sound of it, Maze gave them a few weeks before they were dating.

            It made Maze wonder why Vicki was even that far away from the party after the news had already announced that there had been a double animal attack the night before they had started school.

            But this morning was different when Maze woke from sleep. She had been dreaming weird things about the woods. Running through them. Snow. The wind whipping through her hair.

            She had woken twice in her sleep. The first one to all the blankets and sheets flung off her bed and around the floor. The second time, she was drenched in sweat and woke with a start. That was around four in the morning. So she gave up on sleep. She saw no point in having to set her head back down only to be staring at the wall for the next few hours.

            She had already shower- actual hot water- by the time she heard Elena get up and out of bed.

            Maze sighed and grabbed her bag. Her outfit today was more simple than the last. A crème lacy shirt with a black tank, cutoff, dark blue shorts, and a black mid-thigh sweater. She grabbed a silver necklace and draped it over her skin and her red watch her mother had gotten her in seventh grade. Paired with black combat boots, and she was ready to go.

            She opened her door to see Aunt Jenna about to knock.

            "How do I look? Do I look adult? As in respectfully parental?" She asked. She was rushing, that was for sure. Her hair was down and slightly curled and she wore a blue dress.

            "Depends what you're going for, I guess." Maze pulled her bag onto her shoulder and placed her phone in her back pocket. It had been blowing up with text messages from Bonnie, asking if she knew where Caroline was.

            Jenna let out a loud sigh before checking her make up in the hallway mirror. "Jeremy's parent-teacher conference." She began to try and pull her hair up when Elena exited her room. "Hair up or down?"

            She pulled her hair up and faced the two girls. She glanced at them. "Sexy stewardess..." Maze said.

            Aunt Jenna smiled and then let it fall down around her shoulders. "Boozy housewife." Elena commented.

            Aunt Jenna scoffed and then gave an embarrassed smile. "Up it is!" She looked at the both of them. "You're both feisty today!"

            Maze didn't bother to respond as Elena went on to say "I feel good, which is rare..." And that's when Maze took her leave.

            She knew Jeremy was already gone. She heard him get up and start walking around his room. He had seemed flustered and angry when she stopped him in the hallway to see if he was okay. He just shook his head and she just held him as he cried. He didn't try to fight her. He only let her hold him until he was all wiped out and needed to be alone. And she respected him enough to let him go.

 

            Maze sat in class, a dazed look on her face, not caring what Mr. Tanner was saying. She had already read the lesson plan. She knew what they were talking about- well, he was talking about. No one wanted to say anything in fear of invoking Mr. Tanner's angry side.

            "...originally discovered nearly five centuries ago, it hasn't been over Mystic Falls in over 145 years." Maze looked up at the teacher who was so desperately trying to get everyone into the story, but no one cared. It was early. Nine o'clock and instead of sleeping in, they were all sitting in class, bored out of their minds. "Now, the comet will be its brightest right after dusk during tomorrow's celebration."

            She glanced over to where Elena and Stefan were looking over at each other and smiling.

            "Are we bothering you, Mr. Salvatore?" Stefan looked up, the smile wiped from his face and he looked at the teacher. "Ms. Gilbert?" It was an odd feeling for him to call Elena that. It made her feel as though she was being called. But Elena only shook her head, her brown eyes wide.

            And then the bell rang and Maze was the third one out the door. She didn't want to be in the school, around her sister any longer than she needed.

            But as she walked down the hall, she saw Jeremy, tensed up and jaw locked like he was on a mission.

            She was quick to intercept him outside in the courtyard where he was stalking towards Tyler Lockwood, undoubtedly trying to start a fight over Vicki's honor. But if she were to think of this honestly? Tyler had at least twenty pounds of muscle on her brother. Jeremy was smaller, lankier. He wouldn't stand a chance.

            She jogged up to him and placed a hand on his chest, stopping him from going anywhere.

            "Think about what you're about to do." Her voice was low and quiet, only for her and him to hear. As she looked around, no one was watching the two as she pushed him back slightly and stood in front of him.

            "He didn't even visit her. He uses her and acts like it's okay." Jeremy's voice was high and he was quickly becoming agitated with her.

            "If you throw a punch, I can't help you. I can't stop what Elena and Aunt Jenna do. You can threaten him all you want, but you _cannot_ hurt him." She took a step closer. "I've seen you angry before. And I've seen him angry before. And Jer, you don't stand a chance with a one-on-one fight with him." Jeremy looked down, the truth going in one ear and out the other.

            He pushed her aside, his body twice the size of hers.

            And she watched as he walked up to the football player. "Hey, Tyler. Hey, I'm sorry to interrupt. I was just wondering how Vicki's doing," She could see the anger in Tyler's face. And she was almost certain that he would throw a punch. "Since you guys are so close. Is she okay?" Jeremy's question wasn't really a question. He knew Tyler never went to see her. All he used her for was a piece of ass to call when needed.

            "She's fine. Now get out of here." He didn't want a confrontation. It wasn't something he wanted to do at the moment with the group of girls surrounding him.

            But Jeremy pressed on. "How bad is she? Do they know what attacked her? Is she going to make a full recovery? Was she happy to see you? What room number was she in?" His questions were fired off in quick successions. His face holding a half smile that almost whispered "Go ahead. Lie. I dare you."

            Tyler turned, his body tense, and he wanted to fight. "I'm going to kick your ass." His voice was hard as he talked to the younger Gilbert.

            Jeremy took a step closer. "Yeah, you keep saying that, but when are you actually going to do it?" He took another step. "Huh? 'Cause I vote for right here and right now." He shoved the older boy back and he almost his the chain link fence behind him.

            Tyler looked at the girls and then past Jeremy's shoulder to see Maze standing there. Her eyes were cold as she looked at him, blank and expressionless, but at the same time, filled with red hot rage.

            He looked away from her and then at Jeremy. "Walk away, Gilbert." He tried to look bigger than he really was. "It's your final warning."

            "No, this is your final warning, dick. I'm sick of watching you play Vicki. You hurt her one more time, I swear to God, I will kill you." With the threat hanging in the air, Jeremy turned and walked back towards the school. He passed by his sister and gave her a disappointed look before looking down and shaking his head.

            Maze looked over to Tyler where he stood, his chest heaved out in a sigh. He looked angry and frustrated and looked like he wanted nothing more than to run after her brother and beat him to a pulp. However, he stayed where he was. His eyes looked up to her as she stood there. Her face was one of a perfect mystery to him. She looked like she wanted to say something, but she also looked like she wanted to stroll up to him and slap him across the face with everyone looking.

            But Maze didn't do anything. She just turned and walked back towards the open door to the school building and Tyler watched as she disappeared inside.

 

            Once home, Maze stood by her desk, a cup of coffee in her hand as she flipped through her papers for homework. She wasn't a fan of the histories of Mystic Falls. She couldn't really say that she would go to the comet. She didn't want to run into anyone from school and have to field twenty questions about Elena's new boo and where she had gone for the summer. She had heard so far that she moved to China to help with the memory of her parents' death and, her personal favorite, that she had locked herself in her room all summer and refused to go out or do anything.

            She looked down at the book and shut it with the papers still inside. Looking down at her coffee, it had already gone cold and didn't look all that warm and inviting.

            As she walked down the steps, she could hear Jenna's voice drifting from the kitchen. "... not saying I wouldn't love to rail back and kick it, but with a thesis looming and a waistline expanding..." and then she heard a heavy sigh.

            Walking into the room, Maze saw the open glass doors and Jenna shutting the doors to the fridge.

            Her face brightened when she saw Maze. "Hey! Wanna help me eat some nachos?"

            "What happened?" Maze dumped out the coffee into the sink.

            "Oh you know, teenage rebellion. Although you never really-"

            "The parent conference, Jenna." Looking at her aunt, Maze could see the toll this was taking on her. The mask dropped and Jenna looked at her with eyes that looked like they belonged on someone fifty years her aunt's senior.

            Jenna's eyes filled with tears and a sob broke past her lips. "Maze, I can't-" her voice was cut off as another sob broke past her mouth.

            Maze was quick to drop the mug into the sink and walk to her aunt. She pulled her into an embrace. Jenna's head rested on her shoulder as sobs racked her body. "I don't know- I don't know why I thought I-I could do this! Maze, I'm- I'm supposed to be the one holding you, when you cry!" Maze ran her hand up and down Jenna's back, holding her tight.

            She allowed Jenna to cry. To have it out. There was no sense in trying to get her to talk when she was a mess.

            So Maze held her. She held her close and let her cry, giving her a napkin when she needed one and telling her it would be okay when she thought it was the right time to do so.

            Finally, Jenna pulled back and looked down at her hands, like she was too embarrassed to face the teenager in front of her. "He basically said that I'm not fit to help raise you guys..." She sniffed. "I mean, look at me. I'm standing here crying on you. And you... you aren't hanging by threads. I mean, I look at Elena and I can see she's hurting- I mean god just look at her. She's miserable. And then Jeremy..." Jenna wiped her eyes and looked back at Maze. "I don't know how you're doing it. I really don't." And looking at Jenna, Maze saw the bloodshot eyes and the sleeplessness.

            Jenna was still mourning her sister and brother-in-law. And before she can move through the process of her own mourning, she's thrown into taking care of three teenagers who just lost their parents. And she has to be strong. She has to be able to take care of them.

            Maze wrapped Jenna back into a hug. "First off, Tanner is a dick." It earned her a light chuckle. "And second, you lost your family, too. Not just us. And you are doing everything you can and you are doing the best anyone can." She pulled back to look her aunt in the eye. "Aunt Jenna, you are the one that brought us kids back together. At Mrs. Lockwood's, we couldn't even look at each other. We wouldn't talk to each other unless absolutely necessary. But when you came and got us..." Jenna looked down and gave a small smile. "you made us talk to each other. And it made things hell of a lot easier when you can mourn with your family. Yeah, it was a week with her, but you brought us back as a family.  Jenna, I don't care what Tanner said." Maze wiped a few tears from her own eyes. "We are lucky to have you here with us. It's been four months. Let Jeremy do what he needs. I'll keep an eye on him."

            Jenna pulled her in tighter. "You shouldn't be this grown up yet." She whispered in her niece's ear.

            But Maze just smiled and pulled back. "Come on. Let's eat some tacos."

 

            "He's on the rebound and has raging family issues." Elena said as she poured the olive oil into the salad.

            "Well, at least it's an ex-girlfriend. Wait till you date a guy with mommy issues or cheating issues." Jenna said as she took a bite of an apple.

            "Or just don't date him if it's such an concern for you." Maze had muttered from her spot opposite Elena, cutting vegetables for dinner.

            Both Jenna and Elena looked at her with disbelief, and Maze met Elena's eyes, challenging her to say something. But she didn't because the door opened and closed and Jeremy looked at the three of them. He knew he was screwed.

            "Jeremy." Jenna started for the boy, but Maze cut off her path.

            "Let me." Her voice was calm and Jenna looked like she was on the war path. She looked at Jeremy who was on his way up to his room and then to Maze who had a look in her eyes that... she just knew.

            Jenna put her hands out in a "go ahead" motion and Maze nodded at her and followed up the steps.

            Maze could already hear- and feel- the pulsing vibrations from the music going on in his room.

            She didn't knock.

            Pushing the door open, she stepped inside and shut the door behind her. Walking to the stereo, she turned it down enough so she could hear him when he began to ramble.

            "Shut it." She reached for the bag on his bed and he jumped for it. Maze held a finger up. "Am I going to find something bad in here?"

            His gaze faltered and she took that as a yes. Unzipping the bag, she dumped it on the bed to see papers, wrappers, a pair of headphones, and under a sweatshirt, a small baggie of pills.

            She held it up and glanced at it. Then at him.

            "I-" But she cut him off.

            She dropped the baggie onto the bed and shook her head. "You know, after you stormed out on Jenna earlier, we had a little heart to heart. And she really feels like she's loosing it her, Jer. She feels like she isn't fit to raise us." She sat down on the bed. He took his cue to take the spot in his chair and look at her, waiting for her to go on.

            She picked up the bag and played with it between two fingers. "I think you need to hit rock bottom before you can stop. And I don't mean to say that in an insensitive way, but if you get into pills, what next?" She didn't realize her eyes were filling with tears until Jeremy was up and pulling her into a hug. "Jenna was commending me on how I'm able to keep my shit together, but she's wrong." She pulled back and wiped her eyes. "Jer, I can't lose you, too. I can't."

            And with that, she dropped the pills on the bed and exited the room and into her own. Her eyes were filled with tears and she tried her hardest to wipe them away, but they kept coming back.

            She was trying not to imagine all the ways that the police would come to the door to tell the family about Jeremy. What had happened. As much as she didn't want her mind to go there, it did. And while it hurt and she hated it, it still happened. She was scared to lose her brother just like she had lost her parents and she knew it was okay to feel that way. She knew it was rational.

            But she still hated herself for imagining it.

 

            It was around midnight when Elena got home from the comet. Maze heard her coming up the stairs as she set aside her books for the night. It was the soft tap on the door that made her look up.

            "Can I come in?" Her voice was low and Maze only nodded. She didn't want to start anything this late at night.

            Elena sat down on the foot of the bed, facing Maze and she gave her a smile. "I um... I went to Stefan's house tonight. And we kissed." As Maze rolled her eyes and was about to stand, Elena grabbed her arm. "Wait. There's more." She moved closer and sighed as Maze sat back down.

            "I know you think I'm... parenting Jeremy. Like a parent does. And I can understand why you're mad. But, Maze, you weren't here for the summer. You left. A month after Jenna came here, you just up and left." For the third time in the past ten hours, someone began to shed some tears in front of Maze. Though, if she were to be serious, one of those people would be herself.

            "When you were gone, I saw him start to slip. I saw him start to hang out with Vicki and her friends. And they're all bad news, you know that. And he started getting worse, and you never picked up the phone and Jenna- yeah I get that she's trying but she didn't know what to do either." Elena looked at her with the same eyes that convinced her when they were seven to go rollerblading down the large hill down the street. The same eyes that she looked into when they went flying and couldn't stop in time, so they fell and slammed right into one of the lawns.

            Maze looked down and sighed. "I get it. I wasn't here. You felt like you needed to step in and help him, but Elena, we're not his parents. Our parents aren't going to come in and tell him-" But she didn't get to finish because Elena was already standing.

            "Don't." It was a clear warning and Maze respected that. But she also knew that it didn't help her cause because this, to Maze, showed that Elena already figured this out in her head.

            It was just that she didn't want to admit it.

            "I came in to tell you that I listened to you. I took your advice. And I stopped and thought about myself. And I made my own decision." She turned and looked at Maze with tears in her eyes. "So thanks." And she crossed into her room via the shared bathroom and slammed her door shut.

            Maze just sat back on the bed. Looking at the door that cut between them.

            She hadn't mean to hurt her sister like this. She didn't mean to make her angry or sad.

            She just wanted her _sister_ back.


End file.
